Plague Anthology
Latest from the Blog
Ibn al-Wardi – On the Advance of Plague – 1348
Ibn al-Wardi (1292-1348/9) was a Syrian historian and geographer. The Plague frightened and killed. It began in the land of darkness. Oh, what a visitor! It has been current for fifteen years. China was not preserved from it nor could the strongest fortress hinder it. The plague afflicted the Indians in India. It weighed uponContinue reading “Ibn al-Wardi – On the Advance of Plague – 1348”
Meditations in Time of Plague – Marcus Aurelius – c.161-180
The Meditations – literally “Things to One’s Self” – of the Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is one of the best known and best loved works of philosophy. Teaching American students European history and culture in the early 2000s, it was almost invariably the text they picked out as being the most interesting and “relevant”. Marcus AureliusContinue reading “Meditations in Time of Plague – Marcus Aurelius – c.161-180”
In Praise of the Land of the Dead – a Harper’s Song – Egypt c.1300 B.C.
Some scholars consider that the description of a disease in the medical work known as the Ebers Papyrus (c.1500 B.C. but believed to be copied from earlier texts) refers to bubonic plague. It occurred to me that if this were the case, or if epidemics had been a feature of Pharaonic Egypt, there should beContinue reading “In Praise of the Land of the Dead – a Harper’s Song – Egypt c.1300 B.C.”
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
